Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James got everyone’s attention early in his 2025 NBA Summer League debut on Sunday, making the highlight reels with a spectacular steal and slam in the first 30 seconds against the Miami Heat. James, a second round draft pick by the Lakers in 2024 and the son of LeBron James, made his first appearance in the Summer League’s California Classic after not playing in the Lakers’ first game against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Quickly pouncing when the opportunity presented itself, James picked the pocket of Miami Heat first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis before charging up court and finishing things off with a one-handed slam dunk to put up the very first points of the game.
James would go on to score 10 points in the first half before sitting out the second half — playing only 11 minutes total — as the Lakers posted a 103-83 victory. Of the 10 points James scored, six came off a pair of 3-pointers.
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The younger James spent much of his rookie season developing in the G League, averaging 21.9 points, 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds on 44% shooting for the South Bay Lakers while appearing in 27 NBA games as the teammate of his father.
James did not play meaningful time in his first year in the NBA, averaging just 6.7 minutes per contest with his best outing being a 17-point, five-assist game on 7 of 10 shooting in a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
